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There’s heaven on earth. It just happens to be in the ocean.

Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, Marine Biologist, National Geographic Explorer

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Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) found at Whitesbog Cranberry Bog in New Jersey. Note the cranberry plants in the background. Photo taken August 2016.

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Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is difficult to extract DNA from given that plants have tough carbohydrates in their tissues. Using liquid nitrogen freezes the tissue, causing it to become fragile and easily ground. Once ground into a powder the extraction process can continue. My past experience with mosquito blood meals was a much easier process. Video taken January 2018.

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This is a male Culex pipiens molestus mosquito. That's a mouthful, but at least these little gentlemen do not feed on blood! Male mosquitoes feed on nectar. Even females feed on nectar until they need protein to produce eggs. You can tell males from females by their fuzzy antennae - the fuzz being antennal flagellum. Male antennae are easily seen with the naked eye. Their flagellum aid males in locating females by detecting the faint yet distinct buzzing of their wings. Photo taken January 2018.

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A blast from the past to my Master's thesis spider and terrestrial isopod collection. You're looking at a bunch of Wolf spiders (Lycosidae), some Field wolf spiders (Hogna lenta), Rabid wolf spiders (Rabidosa rabida), Carolina wolf spiders (Hogna carolinensis) and a few I was unable to identify. There are a few Six-spotted fishing spiders (Dolomedes triton) in there as well. The wolf spiders are fairly calm and easy to handle after about a week, the fishing spiders never really got used to me. No worries on the "Rabid" genus, spiders cannot contract rabies that's a mammalian virus. Photo taken March 2014.

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Hyacinths (Hyacinthus spp.) are a genus of perennial flowering plants. You can see from this clear vase that they are bulbs. This beauty came from Trader Joe’s and I am looking forward to the bloom! It's a nice addition to my office. Once the flower is finished you can chill the bulb until next spring to get a new bloom out of it. They'll need to be kept chilled for about 8-12 weeks before they can bloom again. Photo taken February 2018.

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Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) have incredibly armored bodies! Sturgeon have 5 rows of scutes, which are bony modified scales and very tough. Between the scales, their skin is thick and leathery, also great protection. This prehistoric-looking family of fish (Acipenseridae) appeared about 245 million years ago and morphologically (the way they look) has not changed much! Photo taken November 2016.

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Mite at 10x. Likely American dust mite (Dermatophagoides farinae) found in our lab's Rhizopus stolonifer fungi sample. Photo taken November 2016.